Reading face Preston on Saturday with new boss Mark Bowen making his managerial bow for the Royals.

Bowen replaced Jose Gomes after a run of five defeats in six Championship matches saw the Royals slip into the relegation zone.

Having recruited a fair amount of players over the summer and with the owners spending money, it was no surprise that Gomes saw the door.

On Saturday, they face a very tough test in Preston and will be hoping to pick a surprise three points at the Madejski Stadium.

Here's TWO ways Reading can hurt Preston on Saturday...

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Do not sit back

The Royals may be looking at Preston in awe after a wonderful start to the season but the underlying stats show that the Lilywhites aren't that great away from home.

In fact, they've got just five points from five games on their travels this season, and that'll be something that they'll want to improve on this Saturday. Reading have to take the game to them, and start on the front foot in order to attempt to showcase some of Preston's vulnerabilities.

Reading have some good attacking players, but must use them from the off, and try to shock Preston and let them know that it's going to be a tough game. In Ovie Ejaria and John Swift, Reading know the players they need to get on the ball early, if they can do that then they might just have a chance.

Two centre-halves

Preston's central pairing of Patrick Bauer and Ben Davies have been good, but not excellent so far this season. Alex Neil's side have scored a lot of goals, but they have kept just two clean sheets in the current campaign.

If Reading are to have any chance of coming away with the three points from the game then they need to try and get striker George Puscas to make channel runs through both centre-backs, if he can do that then that will open up so much space for the other attacking players.

Puscas did this so well in the game against Cardiff earlier in the season, and has to do it again as he'll have a big part to play if Reading are to get something from the game.